Critical Care Nurses

Critical care nurses are specialized nurses who provide highly skilled direct patient care to critically ill patients needing intense medical treatment. Critical care nurses work not only in intensive care units (ICU) and cardiac care units (CCU) of hospitals, but also in the emergency departments, postanesthesia recovery units, pediatric intensive care units, burn units, and neonatal intensive care units of medical facilities, as well as in other units that treat critically ill patients. According to the "Registered Nurse Population" study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services, there are 503,124 nurses in the United States who care for critically ill patients in hospital settings.

Quick Facts

Duties

Provide medical and post-surgical care for critically ill patients; work long shifts; encounter critically ill patients; be able to operate the latest medical devices, machines, and technology; conduct cutting-edge procedures